site.btaRomanian Flag Raised at CMDR COE HQ in Sofia

July 2 (BTA) - The flag of Romania was raised at Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) headquarters in Sofia Friday during a ceremony welcoming RomaniaТs accession to the organization, CMDR COE said.

The accession followed the signing a Note of Joining the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment, administration and operation of the Centre.

Established in August 2013, CMDR COE is a multi-nationally sponsored entity, which offers recognized expertise and experience to the benefit of the North Atlantic Alliance, especially in support of transformation. The Centre provides research and analysis, tailored education and training for senior experts (strategic / operational level), support to concept development and experimentation, doctrine and standardisation, lessons-learned.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Georgi Panayotov is quoted by his Ministry as saying at the flag-raising ceremony that CMDR COE and all other similar structures in Europe and elsewhere in the world enhance cooperation among the Alliance Member States.

In the words of Bulgarian Deputy Chief of Defence Leutenat General Dimitar Iliev,
the accession of one more sponsoring nation is a remarkable success as it will update the capacoty of the Centre to respond to a broader scope of challenges as risks.

Attending the ceremony were also Romanian Ambassador Brandusa Ioana Predescu, Police Superintendant Alexandru Iorgolescu and Home Affairs (Police) attache Colonel George-Adrian Enache, the Ambassadors of Albania, Donika Hoxha, of Morocco, Zakia El Midaoui, and of Serbia, Zeljko Jovic, as well as the defence and military attaches of Greece, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and the US.

With its accession, Romania became the third Sponsoring Nation of the Bulgaria-based military international organization dedicated to support and contribute to the enhancement of NATOТs crisis management and disaster response capabilities. RI/LN/
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